Islam Makhachev may be chasing history at UFC 322, but for a brief moment, the spotlight shifted elsewhere. Just hours before his welterweight debut against Jack Della Maddalena, the Dagestani champion attended the pre-fight press conference in New York—only for the event to take an unexpected turn. As Makhachev answered questions from reporters, a familiar figure suddenly stole the scene. 

The crowd erupted, chanting one name over and over: ‘Chanco!’ If that didn’t give it away already, in that instant, all eyes moved to Magomed Zaynukov, Makhachev’s training partner. Zaynukov recently earned his UFC contract with a dominant victory over Lucas Caldas on Dana White’s Contender Series, securing his place in the promotion’s lightweight division. Yet, the former lightweight champion had something important to tell the fans.

Islam Makhachev asks fans not to call Zaynukov ‘John Pork’

A clip of the moment quickly began circulating on social media, with Full Send MMA sharing it on Instagram. In the footage, after Zaynukov made his entrance into the venue, Makhachev addressed the excited crowd, “Do you think that he’s finally ready to take the place of a king of the lightweight division? And the answer is, absolutely. He’s a great fighter. He’s a great guy.” He then urged fans to use his teammate’s real nickname, ‘Chanco,’ adding, “Not John pork.” 

Makhachev added, “He doesn’t like ‘John Pork.’ He is the guy who’s helped me with all my camps recently. So he’s gonna be a great lightweight.” Notably, the origins of the bizarre yet hilarious ‘John Pork’ nickname are surprisingly accidental. In a video posted last year by Demetrious Johnson—who visited Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov during training—Makhachev introduced Johnson to his team. 

While saying Zaynukov’s actual nickname, ‘Chanco,’ his pronunciation made it sound like ‘John Pork.’ The internet, of course, instantly seized the moment and turned it into a meme. The joke spread rapidly thanks to the already popular absurdist meme ‘John Pork is calling,’ and the shared name sparked a flood of edits, comments, and inside jokes. Fans soon began swarming Zaynukov’s social media with ‘John Pork’ references. 

But the fighter himself isn’t entertained. After his Contender Series win, he publicly pleaded with fans: “No John Pork, Chanco!” Still, it seems the internet has made up its mind—and the nickname isn’t going anywhere, evident from the comments on Full Send MMA’s post.

Fan asks Magomed Zaynukov to embrace the nickname

Considering the growing popularity of Zaynukov’s nickname, people had a lot to say. One user highlighted that Islam Makhachev himself cracked up once his teammate arrived at the venue. “Islam cracking up knowing he caused this whole thing 😂,” the user commented. Notably, the former lightweight champion himself lacks a nickname. 

Meanwhile, one fan urged Zaynukov to simply embrace the nickname. “He needs to realize that the reason fans love him is because of the John Pork lore! Embrace it,” the user commented. And considering that Magomed Zaynukov hasn’t even fought in the UFC yet, his skyrocketing popularity makes the whole situation even more remarkable.

Another user felt his newfound popularity could land him a pretty big fight. “Bro is gonna be a star because of this. 😂 Give him [Renato] Moicano after a couple of fights,” the user wrote. Renato Moicano is coming off back-to-back losses to Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush.

Someone else predicted the nickname isn’t going anywhere. “It will be John pork forever,” the user commented. The more Zaynukov tries to push back against it, the more it will stick. 

The next user felt Islam Makhachev did it on purpose. “Islam is the culprit. He started everything and is enjoying it 😂😂😂,” the user commented. However, it was clearly a mispronunciation/misinterpretation. At least, it boosted Zaynukov’s popularity. 

In the end, whether Magomed Zaynukov likes his nickname or not, it’s here to stay for now. The best he could do is use this popularity to grow rapidly in a promotion, where Dagestani fighters are already all the talk. But what do you think?